Stargazing Objects

Celestial Objects for Star Party Sessions

September | October | November

To see generally where constellations are in the sky, get a sky mobile app, planisphere or
make your own planisphere with interchangeable star wheels (especially the Messier star wheel).
These month-by-month lists were compiled by Alan Gould for ideal objects to find with an eVscope or other "smart scope"

September
September | October | November

Open Clusters (distance in ly, # of stars, age in My)

• M29 Cygnus (5,240 ly, 50 stars, 11 ly dia, 10 Myrs old)

Globular Clusters (distance in light years, number of stars or mass in suns, diameter in light years)

• M10 Ophiuchus (14 Kly, 220,000 suns, 84 ly dia)

• M12 Ophiuchus (16.4 Kly, 87,000 suns, 74 ly dia)

• M13 Hercules (24,000 ly, ~400,000 stars, ~168 ly dia, ~12 billion years old)

• M92 Hercules (36,700 ly, 330,000 suns, 108 ly dia)

• M56 Lyrae (32,900 ly, 230,000 suns, 84 ly dia) 

• NGC 5466 Boötes  (52,000 ly, 179,000 suns, 476 ly dia) 

Galaxies (distance in light years, diameter in light years, number of stars or mass)

• M81 Ursa Major, Bode's Galaxy (12 Mly, 96,000 ly dia, supermassive black hole of mass 70 million suns)

• M82 UMa Cigar Galaxy (12 Mly, 41,000 ly dia, ~200 globular clusters, 30M suns black hole)

• NGC 2841 Ursa Major (peculiar dwarf galaxy, near M81)

• M 51 Ursa Major, Whirlpool Galaxy (23 Mly, 76,900 ly dia, 160 billion suns)

• M 101 Ursa Major, Pinwheel Galaxy (21 Mly, 252,000 ly dia, 100 billion suns)

• NGC 3184 Ursa Major, The Little Pinwheel Galaxy (40 Mly, ~100,000 ly dia)

• NGC 3198 Ursa Major (47 Mly, ~122,000 ly dia, barred spiral?)

• NGC 2841 Ursa Major (46 Mly, ~150,000 ly dia, 70 billion suns)

• NGC 6946 Cygnus, Fireworks Galaxy (25 Mly, 87,300 ly dia, active starburst galaxy)

• NGC 5248 Boötes (69 Mly, 84,600 ly dia)

• NGC 5529 Boötes (144 Mly, 252,000 ly dia, edge-wise spiral)

• NGC 3147 Draco (130 Mly, 177,000 ly dia, spiral galaxy with black hole of 250 M suns mass)

• NGC 5907 Draco, Knife-edge or Splnter Galaxy (46 Mly, 173,000 ly dia, edge-wise spiral)

• NGC 3735 Draco (edge-wise spiral)

• NGC 5965 Draco (150 Mly, 260,000 ly dia,  edge-wise spiral)

Planetary Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• NGC 6543 Draco, Cat's Eye Nebula (3,300 ly, 0.4 ly dia)

• M97 or NGC 3587 Ursa Major, Owl Nebula (~2,000 ly, 1.8 ly dia, 8,000 years old)

Emission/Diffuse Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• NGC 6781 Aquila, the Snowglobe Nebula (1500 ly, .44 ly dia, barrel-shaped, viewed from nearly pole-on)

• Caldwell 9 Cepheus, The Cave Nebula (2,400 ly, 70 ly dia)

Double Stars (colors, separation ", orbit period, distance)

• β Cygni  (blue & gold, 35.3”, 122 yr, 365 ly)

October
September | October | November

Open Clusters (distance in ly, # of stars, age in My)

• M29 Cygnus (5,240 ly, 50 stars, 11 ly dia, 10 Myrs old)

Globular Clusters (distance in light years, number of stars or mass in suns, diameter in light years)

• M13 Hercules (24,000 ly, ~400,000 stars, ~168 ly dia, ~12 billion years old)

• M2 Aquarius (55,000 ly, ~150,000 stars, ~175 ly dia, 13 billion years old)

• NGC 6760 Aquila (24,000 ly, 357,000 suns)

• M92 Hercules (36,700 ly, 330,000 suns, 108 ly dia)

• M56 Lyrae (32,900 ly, 230,000 suns, 84 ly dia)

• M71 Sagitta, M15 Pegasus, M72 Capricorn ??

Galaxies (distance in light years, diameter in light years, number of stars)

• M31 Andromedae, Great Galaxy in Andromeda (2.5 Mly, 300K ly dia, ~1 trillion stars, collision in ~5 billion yrs)

• M32 Andromedae (2.5 Mly, 8,000 ly dia, companion of M31)

• M33 Triangulum (3.2 Mly, 61,000 ly dia, ~40 billion stars)NGC 253 Sculptor Galaxy (11.4 Mly, 90,000 ly dia, 5M suns black hole)

• NGC 6814 Aquila (75 Mly, 85,000 ly dia, has supermassive black hole with mass ~18 million Suns)

• NGC 3147 Draco (130 Mly, 177,000 ly dia, spiral galaxy with black hole of 250 M suns mass)

• NGC 5907 Draco, Knife-edge or Splnter Galaxy (46 Mly, 173,000 ly dia, edge-wise spiral)

• NGC 3735 Draco (edge-wise spiral)

• NGC 5965 Draco (150 Mly, 260,000 ly dia,  edge-wise spiral)

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Planetary Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• NGC 6781 Aquila, the Snowglobe Nebula (1500 ly, .44 ly dia, barrel-shaped, viewed from nearly pole-on)

• M97 or NGC 3587 Ursa Major, Owl Nebula (~2,000 ly, 1.8 ly dia, 8,000 years old)

Emission/Diffuse Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• Caldwell 9 Cepheus, The Cave Nebula (2,400 ly, 70 ly dia)

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Double Stars (colors, separation ", orbit period, distance)

• β Cygni  (blue & gold, 35.3”, 122 yr, 365 ly)

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November
September | October | November

Open Clusters (distance in ly, # of stars, age in My)

• M34 Perseus (1500 ly, 400 stars, 200-250 Myrs old)

• M36 Auriga (4300 ly, ~200 stars, 25 Myr old)

• M37 Auriga (4500 ly, >500 stars, 350-550 Myrs old)

• M38 Auriga (3480 ly, ~100 stars, 290 Myrs old)

• M39 Cygnus (1000 ly, a few dozen stars, 230 solar masses, 280 Myrs old)

• M29 Cygnus (5,240 ly, 50 stars, 11 ly dia, 10 Myrs old)

• NGC 869 & 884 Double Cluster in Perseus (7600 ly, 14 Myrs old)

Globular Clusters (distance in light years, number of stars or mass in suns, diameter in light years)

• M15 Pegasus (30 Kly, >100K stars, ~170 ly dia, central black hole?, x-ray source)

• M13 Hercules (24,000 ly, ~400,000 stars, ~168 ly dia, ~12 billion years old)

• M 92 Hercules (36,700 ly, 330,000 suns, 108 ly dia)

• NGC 6760 Aquila (24,000 ly, 357,000 suns)

• M2 Aquarius (55,000 ly, ~150,000 stars, ~175 ly dia, 13 billion years old)

Galaxies (distance in light years, diameter in light years, number of stars)

• M31 Andromedae, Great Galaxy in Andromeda (2.5 Mly, 300K ly dia, ~1 trillion stars, collision in ~5 billion yrs)

• M32 Andromedae (2.5 Mly, 8,000 ly dia, companion of M31)

• M33 Triangulum (3.2 Mly, 61,000 ly dia, ~40 billion stars)NGC 253 Sculptor Galaxy (11.4 Mly, 90,000 ly dia, 5M suns black hole)

Planetary Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• M57 Ring Nebula (4100 ly ~2.6 ly dia)

• Helix Nebula in Aquarius NGC 7293 (650 ly, ~6 ly dia)

• M27 Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula (1360 ly, ~3 ly dia)

Emission/Diffuse Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• M1 Crab Nebula Taurus, (6500 ly, ~11 ly dia, 1054 AD SN, pulsar 18 mi dia)

• M42 Orion (1300 ly, ~24 ly dia)

Double Stars (colors, separation ", orbit period, distance)

• g Andromedae  (orange-blue, 9.8”, 4,748 yr, 390 ly)

• Mizar (14.4”, 83 ly, thousands of yrs period, spectroscopic binaries, + Alcor)

• h eta Cassiopeiae (yellow-orange, 12”, 480 yr, 19 ly) 

• Albireo b Cygni (blue-gold, 34.4”, >100,000yrs??, 420 ly)

• e Lyrae (double double, 208”, 2.6”, 1800 yrs,  2.3”, 720 years)

[template]

MONTH
September | October | November

Open Clusters (distance in ly, # of stars, age in My)

• M CC (00 ly, 00 stars, 00 Myrs old)

Globular Clusters (distance in light years, number of stars or mass in suns, diameter in light years)

• M CC (00 Kly, 00 stars, 00 ly dia)

Galaxies (distance in light years, diameter in light years, number of stars)

• M CC (00 Mly, 00 ly dia, 00 million stars)

Planetary Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• M CC (00 ly, 00 ly dia)

Emission/Diffuse Nebulae (distance in light years, diameter in light years)

• M1 CC (00 ly, 00 ly dia)

Double Stars (colors, separation ", orbit period, distance)

• a CC  (color, 00”, 00 yr, 00 ly)